Hundreds of thousands more have fled to angola, zambia and other neighbouring countries. The congo, decolonization, and the cold war, 19601965. Home crisis crisis in the democratic republic of the congo. In response to an international outcry, the belgian state takes it over in 1908, renaming it the belgian congo. Democratic republic of congo profile timeline bbc news. The security situation in congo severely deteriorated in 2017, leaving 1. Water, sanitation and hygiene unicef democratic republic. This analytical narrative investigates the varying nature and strength of the state in congo zaire from.
Three new books on the democratic republic of the congo. In addition to the analysis provided by each months feature, origins will also include images, maps, graphs and other material to complement the essay. The democratic republic of the congo dr congo is one of the most populous countries in subsaharan africa, and the largest frenchspeaking african country. One of congos most intrepid observers, he describes the war from the point of view. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. I just finished reading the democratic republic of congo. The democratic republic of the congo, also known as the congo or the drc, is the second largest country in africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. The triggering events behind the congo crisis were the mutiny of the army the force publique near leopoldville on july 5 and the subsequent intervention of belgian paratroopers, ostensibly to protect the lives of belgian citizens. Just previous to this, in may a growing nationalist movement, led by patrice lumumba, had won the parliamentary elections. Root causes of the deadly conflict in the democratic republic of the congo democratic republic of the congo is the very heart of the african continent. Africas world war, fought in congo a country the size of western. Dr congo has been hit by years of instability, with rival militias fighting for control of territory. Until 1960, the congo had been a colony of belgian but in 1960, belgian announced that it was giving the congo its independence. The united nations role in the congo crisis between 1960 and 1964 saw its largest deployment of men and some of its most controversial actions.
Drc is now the second largest hunger crisis in the world after yemen. Between hope and despair zed books, 20, published in cooperation with the royal african society, the international african institute and the world peace foundation. They retaliated by invading the democratic republic of the congo, starting the second congo war. In reaction to the first case found in goma, on 17 july 2019, the world health organization who announced that the current ebola outbreak in dr congo represents a. Since the development of the democratic republic of the congo commonly known as the drc or the dr congo the nation has been the center of what many historians refer to as africas world war.
I have become involved in mission work in the kasai over the past few years, making several trips to congo. For decades, drc has suffered a multitude of crises. The belgian congo achieved independence on 30 june 1960 under the name the democratic republic of congo. Democratic republic of the congo hunger relief in africa. Natural gas is increasingly being converted to electricity. Since gaining independence from belgium in 1960, the country and its 75 million residents have experienced numerous political and economic crises, including a war that claimed millions of. However, after kabila was installed as the new president, he broke ties with rwanda and uganda. Officially known as the democratic republic of the congo, the country has a 25mile 40km coastline on the atlantic ocean but is otherwise landlocked. The world health organization has confirmed an ebola outbreak in a remote forested part of the democratic republic of congo, the first in that country since 2014.
Dr congo crisis drc humanitarian crisis facts mercy corps. In each issue of origins, an academic expert will analyze a particular current issue political, cultural, or social in a larger, deeper context. Although the country is vastly populated with an innumerable amount of resources, poverty in the democratic republic of the congo still defines the lives of children and adults. That feeling stayed with me through the last months of the second congo war 19982003 and the subsequent lowintensity series of ongoing. Many of its people have not seen peace in more than 20 years. New ebola outbreak declared in democratic republic of congo. Is that why rostow is now trying to help the people of vietnam, the congo, the dominican republic, and other underdeveloped countries to overcome the empirical, theoretical, and policy shortcomings of his manifestly noncommunist intellectual aid to economic development and cultural change by bombs, napalm, chemical and biological weapons, and.
Trek into congo forest reveals an ebola crisis fueled by. On their journey they discover the lost city of zinj and a new species of killer gorillas, which they must overcome to survive. The united nations stabilization mission in the dr congo msme. The country was renamed the democratic republic of the congo in 1997, which had been its name before mobutu changed it to zaire in 1971. Food assistance fact sheet democratic republic of the congo. The second largest country in africa, the democratic republic of the congo drc ranked 5th of 178 countries on the 2019 fragile states index, placing it in the highest category of risk very high alert. This analytical narrative investigates the varying nature and strength of the state in congo zaire from colonial times through the tumultuous years after independence, the ups and downs of the mobutu years, the two wars at the turn of the century, the interim government and the beginning of the fourth republic in 2006.
Fresh waves of unrest in the democratic republic of the congo have displaced an estimated 5 million people between 2017 and 2019 namely in the kasai, tanganyika, ituri and kivu regions. Namikas offers a fine history of the cold war politics of congo during the early 1960s, informed by access to recently declassified archival. Richard lea surveys the best books about a troubled region. Between hope and despair, and found it to be an excellent account of the complexities of the wars in congo. A remarkable and indepth portrait of a wartorn nation seldom far from the. The land in the dr congo has a lot of natural resources like oil, minerals and. The country is currently experiencing the largest displacement crisis in africa. Pushpinder khanekas drc guide focuses on a 1950s missionary family. The democratic republic of congo drc is a vast mineralrich country that has been caught up in years of conflict, poverty, and lack of respect for human rights.
Congo permeates the story, as it grapples with its fledgling independence and a descent into violence exacerbated by the machinations of the colonial power, belgium, and the cia. Our books conditioned as good may have yellowing of pages due to age and may have very minimal under 5 pages worth, transparent highlighting but no writing or note taking. The best books on democratic republic of the congo. Troops from angola, chad, namibia, sudan, and zimbabwe intervened to support kabilas regime. Presentation for the 2nd annual global convening of organizations and individuals dedicated to preventing and ending atrocities and deadly violence against civilians.
The conflict has been worsened by the failure to hold elections last year. Democratic republic of the congo, country located in central africa. A chronology of key events in the history of the democratic republic of congo, from the 1200s to the present. The republic of the congo, originally a french colony, is sometimes called congo brazzaville as opposed to the democratic republic of the congo known from 1971 to 1999 as zaire which is often called congo kinshasa, originally a belgian colony. But elation over mobutus downfall faded as kabilas own autocratic style emerged, and he seemed devoid of a clear plan for reconstructing the country. The democratic republic of the congo continues to suffer from a series of. The crisis began almost immediately after the congo became independent from belgium and ended, unofficially, with the entire country under the rule of josephdesire mobutu. Michael deibert is the author of democratic republic of congo. Kabila renamed the country the democratic republic of the congo drc, but in august 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by rwanda and uganda.
A very brief history of the democratic republic of congo. The healthcare system in one of the worlds poorest countries is. The democratic republic of congo drc has over 50% of the african continents water reserves but despite this tremendous potential, 33 million people in rural areas still lack access to quality water. Inside story will military action end dr congo crisis. Faos response to the crisis in dr congo is to assist a total of 2. Democratic republic of the congo world food programme. The democratic republic of the congo pronunciation help info french. Democratic republic of the congo democratic republic of the congo the congo crisis. A good book describes the average used worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Congo crisis 19601965 was a period of hardship, and another battle for the superpowers,after belgium grant congo independence. A congolese uprising leads to independence in 1960.
The democratic republic of congo drc is a country rich in resources, yet fraught with conflict and violence. The united nations and the congo history learning site. What is mercy corps doing to help the crisis in drc. Crisis states research centre the rise and decline of the congolese state1 an analytical narrative on statemaking gabi hesselbein2 crisis states research centre abstract. Today the democratic republic of congo formerly zaire remains one of the most dangerous and politically unstable places on the planet. Democratic republic of congo drc is africas second largest country, with great mineral and natural resources. Located in westcentral africa, the congo is a country with great ethnic diversity and vast natural resources, especially immensely mineralrich. The following is a report of the panel of experts on the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth of the democratic republic of the congo, explaining the reasoning behind rwandas stay in the drc following the rwandan genocide.
Africa congo, democratic republic of the the world. The republic of the congo s economy is a mixture of subsistence farming, an industrial sector based largely on oil and support services, and government spending. The decolonization of subsaharan africa from the late 1950s to the mid1970s resulted in several proxy cold war confrontations between the united states and the soviet union over the dozens of newly independent, nonaligned nations. Food assistance fact sheet democratic republic of the congo september 30, 2019 the humanitarian situation in eastern democratic republic of the congo drc continues to deteriorate due to recurrent intercommunal conflict, complicated by an ongoing outbreak of ebola virus disease evd in ituri and north kivu provinces. This crisis at various points had the characteristics of anticolonial struggle, a secessionist war with the province of katanga, a united nations peacekeeping operation, and a cold war proxy battle between the united states and the soviet. Over the past two decades, the democratic republic of congo has been at the centre of the deadliest series of conflicts since the second world war, and now. Poverty in the democratic republic of the congo the.
Despite sustained efforts, only 52% of the population has access to an improved water source and 29% has improved sanitation facilities. Independence and political crisis 19601965 turmoil and transition. The democratic republic of congo drc is host to one of the worlds most complex and longstanding humanitarian crises, centered particularly in the east of the country. Root causes of the deadly conflict in the democratic.
King leopold ii of belgium claims what he calls congo free state, which he rules cruelly in a bid to extract natural resources. Drc is of such complexity and with everchanging alliances that one book is. Democratic republic of the congo news top stories from. Democratic republic of congo 202017 country strategy paper regional department centre orcecdfo june 20. Dr congo displacement crisis worse than middle east.
1405 1360 640 1514 227 332 951 121 1061 868 213 206 1036 276 1261 568 964 262 1278 73 1365 1547 788 400 1151 1037 208 203 1116 1011 1198 927 218 460 1036 302 225 992 682 540 758